Norwich is a city and county of itself, and the largest on the eastern
side of England. It is distant 108 miles N.E. by N. from London; 43
miles N. from Ipswich; 42 miles E. by S. from Lynn Regis; 19 miles W.
from Yarmouth; and 72 miles N.E. from Cambridge. Its population,
according to the census of 1851, was 68,195 inhabitants, and it has 36
parishes.
It is delightfully situated on the banks of the river Wensum, and at one
time contained so many gardens and pleasure grounds, as to be frequently
termed “_a city in an orchard_.” The streets of Norwich have of late
years been much improved; they are well paved, and contain some good
shops. In the environs are some beautiful walks, and villa residences of
the inhabitants.
The MARKET PLACE is a fine oblong square, surrounded with shops. In the
centre there formerly stood a cross, which was erected in the reign of
Edward III., and contained a small chapel, or oratory, which was taken
down in 1732. Opposite the GENTLEMAN’S WALK is a fine statue of the late
Duke of Wellington, erected in 1854. The statue of Lord Nelson, which
until lately stood near the Guildhall, is now removed to a more suitable
situation in the Upper Close. The market days are Wednesday and
Saturday—the latter the principal one; and no market is better supplied
with the necessaries and comforts of life. The Skin Market is held in
the Old Haymarket, opposite the Savings’ Bank. The Fish Market is held
behind the houses on the west side, and is well supplied. Norwich is
considered exceedingly healthy. It is defended from the easterly winds
by the Mousehold Hills, which, combined with the abundance of springs in
the city and its suburbs, and the Health of Towns’ Act, render it an
extremely healthy locality.
Norwich seems to have arisen from the ruin of _Venta Icenorum_, now
Caister, the capital of the Iceni, 3 miles south. In 575, it is said to
have been fortified by Uffa, first king of the East Angles. In 642, it
was a chief seat of his successor Anna. In the time of Alfred the Great,
and afterwards, it was attacked by the Danes, and became the capital of
Guthrum. The place rose to importance, and had a mint; and in the reign
of Edward the Confessor it was of that greatness, that it had 25
churches, and 1,320 burgesses. In 1094, Bishop Herbert de Losinga moved
the see here from Thetford. This bishop, in 1096, began the cathedral.
In 1336, a number of Flemish weavers settled here, and greatly improved
the worsted and clothing trades. In 1565, a further accession of these
artizans was obtained, in consequence of the persecution in the
Netherlands.
Next to Manchester, London and Glasgow, Norwich is one of the largest
seats of the weaving trade. The previous remarks shew that it is of
great antiquity; and the trade has taken fresh vigour from the
introduction of the factory system. The chief productions are
bombazines, crapes, gauzes, challis, mousselin de laine, fillover shawls,
silk shawls, bandannas, camlets, mohair, paramattas, poplins, bareges,
glove cloths, sewing cotton, coach lace, horse hair, sacking, sailcloth,
&c. There are also dyeries, foundries, machine works, tanneries,
breweries, maltkilns, coach works, rope works, chemical works, soaperies,
paper mills, pianoforte and organ works, and the boot and shoe trade
employ several hundred hands. Norwich has a Chamber of Commerce.
The city and county of the city are governed by a corporation, consisting
of a mayor, 16 aldermen, and 48 councillors, with a sheriff,
under-sheriff, recorder, judge of the borough court, town-clerk, clerk of
the peace, coroner, jailer, superintendent of police, four
sergeants-at-mace, water-bailiff, bellman, &c. There is a separate
commission of the peace, with 26 justices, holding quarter sessions and
daily sessions. The Borough Court is held every day. There is also a
Court of Pleas and Court of Conscience. The revenues of the corporation
are about £15,000 a year. The city returns two Members to Parliament.
Assizes and quarter sessions for the county and city are held at the
usual periods. There is a County Court; Will and Ecclesiastical Courts
are held for the diocese and archdeaconry. There is a large fair for
horses and cattle, called Tombland Fair, held on the day before Good
Friday, and pleasure fairs at Easter and Whitsuntide.
NORWICH CASTLE is situated on the summit of a hill, nearly in the centre
of the city. It has a most striking appearance, and is full of interest,
both to the antiquary, artist, and historian. A stone erection, or royal
castle, is believed to have been built here on Uffa’s intrenchments,
about the year 642, and was one of the chief seats of Anna, king of the
East Angles. It was often attacked and nearly destroyed by the Danes,
but was partly rebuilt by Canute, after he had obtained sole power in
England. Mr. Wilkins says, although the greater part of it might be
built in the reign of Canute, “it is, notwithstanding, in the style of
architecture practised by the Saxons, long before England became subject
to the Danes, and is the best exterior specimen of this kind of
architecture extant.” The promontory on which the keep of this castle is
built, appears to be chiefly the work of nature, excepting what has,
probably, been thrown out from the inner vallum; for it may be observed
that the ground from the castle, for the best part of a mile southwards,
is nearly level with the upper ballium, although it dips to the west, and
most rapidly to the east. The area of the whole castle, including the
three ditches which circumscribed it, could not be less than twenty-three
acres; and the principal entrance was from Berg or Burgh street, _i.e._,
the street leading to the castle—through the barbican or advanced work at
the entrance of the castle over a bridge—across the outward vallum which
was at the south end of what is now called Golden Ball street.
The _interior_ of the castle has undergone such a number of alterations,
with the view of adapting it to its use as a county gaol, that all traces
of its ancient apartments have long been lost. It formerly contained a
royal chapel, free from ecclesiastical control, and dedicated to St.
Nicholas. The first rural dean of the deanery of Norwich, in 1221,
pretended to spiritual jurisdiction in this chapel, but for his temerity
was obliged to supplicate forgiveness from the king.
The castle was originally defended by three walls and ditches; each ditch
having a bridge over it. The outer ditch has been filled up from time
immemorial. The middle one was levelled in the last century: traces of
it may be discovered on the north side, where the yards of the houses are
often from 18 to 20 feet below the road. The inner ditch extended round
the bottom of the hill upon which the keep is standing, and is now a
tasteful plantation with a gravelled walk in the centre, bounded by an
iron palisading. It is worthy notice that the space within this
palisading, although in the centre of the city boundary, is the property
of the county. The bridge which crossed the inner ditch is still
standing, and consists of one large circular arch, 40 feet in span. It
is supposed that this is the original bridge erected by the Saxons: at
its termination upon the hill are the remains of two circular towers,
which are believed to have flanked the portal of the ballium wall. Upon
this bridge the county criminals are executed: the thoughts of the
visitor will probably recur to one, who a few years since suffered for
crimes unparalleled in atrocity.
The fine panoramic view which a walk round the summit of the hill
affords, will not soon be forgotten by a stranger. We may venture to
assert that no town in the kingdom contains in its centre an elevation
which affords so extensive and agreeable a promenade. All the churches
and public buildings in the city may be distinctly seen, bounded in the
distance by Mousehold Heath, and the pleasant villages of Costessey,
Thorpe, Catton, Bixley, and Whitlingham.
At the east end of the castle stands the NEW COUNTY GAOL, erected in 1824
upon the site of a less convenient building, pulled down for the purpose.
It is surrounded by a high wall cased with granite, and surmounted by
battlements. The interior is commodious, well adapted for the health of
the prisoners, and in every respect suited for proper prison regulations.
The governor’s house faces the entrance, and commands an entire view of
the various parts of the building. Besides the family apartments, it
contains a committee-room for the visiting magistrates, and a chapel for
the prisoners. From this, branch three wings, each of which contains a
double row of cells upon the upper and ground floors. Crossing these,
are single rows of cells, and an arcade for the perambulations of the
prisoners when the weather will not allow their walking in the yard.
Behind these are three other wings with arcades below, and upon the upper
floor, double rows of cells: in all there are 225 cells, and the average
number of prisoners is about 120. The tread-mill here is not altogether
“labour in vain;” for attached to it is a machine for raising water. Not
only is the silent system adopted, but at the mill each prisoner is
separated from his neighbour by a wooden partition. Industry is the
order of the day; mat-making—oakum-picking—carpentry—shoe-making, and
other useful occupations, tend to make the prisoners contributors to the
cost of their maintenance. A schoolmaster is kept, and every official is
considered his auxiliary. The chaplain and governor are both known to be
indefatigable in their efforts to create in the minds of the prisoners a
distaste for vicious pursuits; and in not a few instances have they been
attended with complete success.
Upon the spacious declivity at the foot of the bridge is held the CATTLE
MARKET, the largest in England (London excepted). The market is held
every Saturday, and upon that day the visitor will have an opportunity of
witnessing such a show of agricultural live stock as no other provincial
town can furnish. Moreover, he will not fail to be interested in the
portly appearance and rich _brogue_ of the principal actors in the busy
scene; for various specimens of the “Norfolk Farmer” may here be seen to
full perfection; and we would strongly advise that the chance be not
neglected.
On the north-east side of the castle, at the bottom of the hill, stands
the SHIREHALL, erected in 1822, and opened in the following year. It is
an imitation of the later period of the pointed style of architecture.
The County Assizes and Sessions are held in this building, which by a
subterranean passage and ascending shaft, communicates with the castle
above. There are two courts, and other convenient rooms. In the Grand
Jury Chamber is a full-length portrait of one of Norfolk’s most
celebrated worthies—the late Thomas William Coke, Esq., Earl of
Leicester; and also one of Lord Wodehouse. Upon the spacious plain,
fronting the Shirehall, is held the Annual (Tombland) Fair, which
commences on Maunday Thursday, and terminates upon Easter Tuesday. The
newly-erected building to the north-west of the Shirehall, is the COUNTY
POLICE STATION.
The GUILDHALL is an ancient building, situated at the north-west end of
the Market-place, and is used for an assize and sessions court, for a
police station, and for the meetings of the Town Council, and various
other purposes. The building is an erection of black flint, the
cornices, window frames, and battlements being of freestone. Some of the
original windows, with flowered points to the cusps, are still remaining;
but the greater part are modern, as are also the additions upon the
south, where formerly was a chapel dedicated to St. Barbara, in which the
prisoners assembled for divine worship; upon the site of this is a porch,
ornamented with a gilt figure of Justice. Adjoining the east side is the
POLICE OFFICE. In the front of the building, towards the Market-place,
are square panels, with remains of shields and supporters of the time of
Henry VIII. The interior is chiefly modern, with the exception of the
room called the Mayor’s Council Chamber, which retains much of the
furniture of the time of king Henry VIII. It is situated at the east end
upon the second floor, and is adorned with half-length portraits of many
of the ancient civic notables and benefactors of the city, amongst which
will be found Lord Chief Justice Coke, Archbishop Parker, and many
others; the full-length portrait on the left side of the entrance is Sir
Benjamin Wrench; that on the right is Thomas Emerson, Esq. In the
windows is painted glass of various periods. The greatest object of
attraction in this room is a glass case, containing the sword of the
Spanish Admiral Don Xavier Winthuysen, who died of his wounds at the
battle of Cape St. Vincent, February 14th, 1797. It was presented to the
corporation of the city by Lord Nelson. Within the case is the letter
which accompanied the presentation, and which is in the hand-writing of
the great naval chieftain. Opposite this room is the old Common Council
Chamber, in which the mayor and magistrates hold a petty sessions daily.
It contains fine full-length portraits of Elisha de Hague, Town Clerk,
1825, and other civic worthies.
The Court in which the Assizes are held is upon the ground floor toward
the west; and there are several smaller apartments in the building
devoted to municipal purposes, in some of which are the regalia of the
corporation, including the snap or dragon, formerly carried before the
mayor on his election; the gold chains worn by the mayor and sheriffs;
the sword of state, presented by St. George’s Company in 1705: a curious
mace of silver gilt, with beautiful crystal, presented by Queen
Elizabeth; two maces of silver gilt, presented by the Duke of Norfolk and
Sir Robert Walpole in 1670 and 1734, with other civic paraphernalia.
ST. ANDREW’S HALL is a very noble structure, and is in the pointed style
of architecture. Its length is 124 feet, and there are two aisles 70
feet broad. The roof is supported by twelve pillars, and there are
fourteen windows on each side in the upper tier, and six in the lower,
two in the east, and three in the west end, which were formerly decorated
with stained glass. Originally there was a handsome steeple in the
centre, which fell down in 1812. The Hall is principally used for the
festivals, concerts, public meetings, and various other purposes.
The PUBLIC LIBRARY is opposite the Guildhall. It is a handsome edifice,
with Doric portico, and contains about 30,000 volumes, including a
valuable collection of books, called the City Library. The library is
open from ten in the morning till nine in the evening, except from the
first of May till the end of August, when it closes at eight, p.m. There
is a reading-room attached for the convenience of readers.
The CORN EXCHANGE is situated in Exchange Street, which commences at the
north end of the Gentlemen’s Walk. It is a large structure erected in
1828, at a cost of £6000. It is about 120 feet long, 90 feet broad, and
27 feet high, and is supported by two rows of pillars. The building is
principally lighted from the roof. At the east end are portraits of John
Culley, Esq., the originator of the building, and Thomas William Coke, of
Holkham, afterwards Earl of Leicester, justly regarded as the father of
Norfolk agriculture.
The CHAMBER OF COMMERCE is situated at a short distance from the Corn
Exchange. It is a handsome building, ornamented in front by Corinthian
columns and pilasters, surmounted by an entablature. It contains a
well-supplied Reading-room, which is open to strangers gratuitously.
The POST OFFICE is situated in Post-Office Street, which is approached
from the Market-Place, by Exchange Street. It is a convenient though not
an attractive-looking building. There are two London deliveries daily.
The NORFOLK AND NORWICH MUSEUM is in St. Andrew’s Broad Street. It is a
handsome building, with commanding exterior, erected in 1839. Its
contents are varied, extensive, and complete. The birds especially are
very numerous, a large portion of them being foreign. The mammalia
include many valuable specimens; and one of the largest provincial
collections of animals from Australia is to be found within these walls.
Amongst the fossils are some rare specimens of animals long since
extinct. The shells and minerals are deserving attention, as is also the
entomological department. The antiquities exhibit many remarkable
articles; the coins and seals are particularly worthy the attention of
the curious. There is also a valuable botanical collection, which
contains the Herbarium of the eminent botanist, Sir James E. Smith. The
Museum is open free every Monday, and on other days visitors are admitted
on the production of an order from one of its members.
The LITERARY INSTITUTION. This society occupies several rooms in the
same building as the Museum. It contains an excellent and rapidly
increasing Library of about 15,000 volumes.
Adjacent to the Museum is the FREE LIBRARY, a spacious and convenient
building, erected in 1856, upon a part of the site of the ancient palace
of the Dukes of Norfolk.
The BAZAAR is a handsome structure, in St. Andrew’s Broad Street, erected
in 1831, by a company of shareholders, and now let for various purposes.
One portion of the building is occupied by the Government School of
Design, in which instruction is given in drawing, painting, modelling,
and designing.
The ASSEMBLY ROOMS are at the south end of an open plain, in the parish
of St. Stephen, and were erected in 1754 upon the site of the College of
St. Mary in the Fields. Public meetings are occasionally held here, and
the proprietors of the leading exhibitions of the kingdom, during their
stay in this city, generally fix their paraphernalia in one or other of
the convenient compartments of this spacious building.
The THEATRE ROYAL is situated at a short distance from the Assembly
Rooms. It is a well-built though somewhat plain-looking edifice, erected
in 1826, adjoining the site of the old theatre, which was built in 1757.
The interior is upon the model of Drury Lane, the embellishments are both
chaste and handsome, and the arrangements are well suited to public
convenience, being upon the same plan as those of the metropolitan
theatres. The building is but rarely used for other than dramatic
entertainments.
The BETHEL HOSPITAL FOR LUNATICS stands in the street of the same name,
upon the site of the old City Committee House. The building is well
adapted for the purpose for which it was designed. There is a handsome
committee room containing several portraits, one of which is that of the
worthy foundress, painted in 1724.
The CITY GAOL is at the end of St. Giles’ Street. It was completed in
1827, from a design by Mr. Philip Barnes, a native of Norwich, at a cost
of £30,000. The front elevation is massive, and is supported by
rusticated Tuscan columns. In the wings are niches with cross arrows.
The building encloses an area of 1A. 2R. 34P., and contains 114 cells.
The governor’s house stands in the centre, and commands a view of the
entire prison, which is well ventilated, and supplied with water pumped
by the tread wheel.
The NORFOLK AND NORWICH HOSPITAL, founded in 1771, for the relief of the
sick and maimed poor, is an extensive brick structure, situated without
St. Stephen’s Gates. It deservedly ranks as the most useful institution
in the county, and is supported by donations, legacies, and voluntary
subscriptions, and also by a large proportion of the proceeds of the
Norwich Musical Festival. Since its foundation, it has admitted about
45,000 in-door, and 35,000 out-door patients. Three physicians and four
surgeons regularly attend gratuitously. The Hospital contains 144 beds
for the reception of patients.
ST. GILES’ HOSPITAL, commonly called the Old Men’s Hospital, is situated
in the parish of St. Helen. It was founded as early as 1249, by Bishop
Walter de Suffield, for maintaining four chaplains to pray for his soul;
and also to be an asylum for the aged, decrepid and infirm clergy of the
diocese of Norwich, and to support 13 old people, who were to have their
lodging, and one meal a day for life. It subsequently received
considerable augmentations, and can now accommodate 200 persons.
The CAVALRY BARRACKS are situated in Barrack Street, in the Hamlet of
Pockthorpe, on the site of the Old Manor House of that hamlet. They were
erected by the Government in 1791, at an expense of £20,000. The
buildings are of brick, and form three sides, the centre being for the
accommodation of the officers; upon the upper part of this are the
national arms sculptured in stone, and surrounded by military trophies.
The wings are appropriated to the reception of the soldiers, and are
capable of containing 320 men and 266 horses. The high wall which
surrounds the entire barracks (including the spacious parade ground)
encloses an extent of about ten acres.
The DUNGEON TOWER is opposite the Cavalry Barracks, upon land called the
Hospital Meadows. It is a large round tower of brick, originally
surmounted by a battlement.
The INSTITUTION FOR THE INDIGENT BLIND is situated in Magdalen Street.
The establishment is devoted to two objects—a hospital for the aged
blind, and a school for the instruction of blind children, who are taught
the manufacture of baskets, mats, and other articles, by which they may
obtain a livelihood. These may be purchased in a shop adjoining the
institution.
DOUGHTY’S HOSPITAL, in Calvert Street, was founded in 1687, by William
Doughty, who bequeathed £6000 for building and endowing it, for 24 poor
men and 8 poor women, of the age of 60. Since its foundation, the
hospital has been augmented by several benefactions. It is a square
building of almshouses, with a garden in the centre. Each inmate has a
tenement of one room for his or her own use, and there is one of two
rooms, the residence of the master. There is now accommodation for 28
men and 16 women, who each receive 5s. 6d. per week, and the master 11s.
per week. Each has also a supply of coals, and a suit of purple clothing
annually, with other advantages.
The CATHEDRAL is one of the chief ornaments of the city, and is a very
fine edifice, principally in the Norman style of architecture. It has a
nave and choir, with aisles, transept, several small chapels,
chapterhouse, and cloisters. These, with the Bishop’s Palace and the
Deanery, constitute a great mass of ecclesiastical buildings. The
Cathedral is 407 feet long, and the breadth across the transept 178 feet,
and across the nave and aisles 72 feet. The cloisters form a square of
174 feet, inner dimensions. The large west window is composed of elegant
perpendicular tracery, and contains some elegant stained glass, inserted
as a memorial of the late Bishop Stanley. On the south side of the nave,
between the sixth and seventh pillars, is the tomb of Chancellor Spenser,
upon which, in accordance with the leases, the dean and chapter formerly
demanded the payment of their rents; and between the next pillars stands
the tomb of Bishop Nix, a violent persecutor of the Reformers, who
erected the roof of the transepts. He suffered a long imprisonment for
aiding the cause of the pope against Henry VIII. The space which this
tomb occupies, as well as that between the two next pillars to the west,
was formerly enclosed as a chapel, the roof of which is remaining,
displaying obtuse arches inserted between the Norman piers; the vaulting,
which is rich, is considered a good specimen of the latest florid style.
On the west side of the ninth pier, on the same side, is the tomb of
Bishop Parkhurst, the eminent lexicographer, a very excellent prelate,
and a great promoter of the reformed religion. In the ninth arch of the
south wall is a monument to Dean Gardiner. Opposite, on the east side of
the ninth pier, is the tomb of Sir James Hobart, attorney-general to
Henry VII. A chapel was formerly enclosed here, which belonged to the
Hobart family. In the centre of the nave will be observed a chaste
marble slab, which covers the remains of the late highly-esteemed Bishop
Stanley. The Bishop’s Palace is partly Norman. It has a grand hall and
a large chapel. The Deanery and Prebendal Houses are the remains of the
Priory. Among the cathedral appurtenances are three ancient gates of
remarkable structure—the Erpingham gate, St. Ethelbert’s gate, and St.
Martin’s Palace gate. The Cathedral precincts form a peculiar
jurisdiction of the Dean and Chapter, who appoint a coroner and
ecclesiastical judges and officers. The Bishop has the remarkable
privilege of being the only abbot in England, being Bishop of Norwich and
Abbot of St. Bennet’s-at-Holm.
The FREE GRAMMAR SCHOOL is situated near the western door of the
Cathedral, and was originally a chapel dedicated to St. John. It was
erected about 1315, by Bishop Salmon, lord chancellor, who endowed it
with four priests, one of whom was to sing mass for his soul, those of
his parents, and of all his predecessors and successors. The portico,
which is singular in construction, was built by Bishop Lyhart in 1463.
The buttresses at each end of the south side are especially worthy
notice; they are ornamented with rich columns representing the trunks of
trees, from the tops of which spring imitations of branches. In this
grammar school, in addition to many eminent scholars, were educated the
celebrated Hero of the Nile and Trafalgar, Lord Viscount Nelson, and Sir
James Brooke, the Rajah of Sarrawak. The celebrated Dr. Valpy was once
head master.